Illini flatten Chicago State, prepare for heavyweights

Monday

Nov 28, 2011 at 12:01 AMNov 28, 2011 at 2:14 AM

CHAMPAIGN -- After a 90-43 win over Chicago State on Sunday at Assembly Hall, the Illini step up to the big time the rest of the week. With games Tuesday at Maryland and Saturday at home against Gonzaga, the Illini soon will learn where they stack up with the teams in their weight class.

John Supinie

CHAMPAIGN — The early season basketball warmups are done for the most part. It’s time to get serious.

After a 90-43 win over Chicago State on Sunday at Assembly Hall, the Illini step up to the big time the rest of the week. With games Tuesday at Maryland (6:30 p.m., ESPN) in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge and Saturday at home against Gonzaga (2:15 p.m., ESPN2), the Illini soon will learn where they stack up with the teams in their weight class.

“It’s huge,’’ Illini coach Bruce Weber said. “It’s not do or die for our season, but (it is) if we’re going to make positive steps.

“Maryland is down a little bit. It’s not going to be easy to play at an ACC gym. We’ll see what we can do on the road, then we come back with the Zags.’’

St. Bonaventure was picked fourth in the preseason Atlantic-10 Conference poll (one spot ahead of Richmond, which Illinois already beat) and plays here on Dec. 7, so “it’s a big 10-day stretch for us,’’ Weber said.

Chicago State (0-6) stood at No. 342 among 345 teams in Division I in the Sagarin Ratings, so this one was a scheduled scrimmage. Pay the Cougars. Run up the score and get the younger guys some playing time.

“I asked them to play well and play hard,’’ Weber said. “It’s a tough game. They knew they were 0-5 coming in. Our guys responded well. The other part of it was I got a chance to play a lot of young guys.

“Obviously, the competition gets much tougher as we get to Maryland and Gonzaga. As we get into our schedule, Vegas made it tougher and Missouri is playing pretty well. We’ve got a tough row to hoe.’’

The Illini have had their share of early games where they get time to build a rotation and confidence, but Illinois has more than its share of heavyweights, such as UNLV and No. 21 Missouri. UNLV upset No. 1 North Carolina 90-80 late Saturday night, and Missouri pounded Notre Dame by 29 and No. 20 California by 39 last week.

“It’s a little bit of a surprise,’’ Weber said of the UNLV win. “Carolina tends to get better as it goes with its defense and intensity. Sometimes games like that are a wakeup call. It definitely made our schedule look more attractive.’’

John Supinie can be reached at 217-377-1977. Follow him on Twitter @JohnSupinie.